God has said, “. . . I will not give My glory to another, Nor my praise to idols (Isa 42: 8 KJV).”
Accordingly, the Church that God designed will not have graven images (1), statues, or apparatus (candle stations) facilitating the paying of homage to any individuals outside of the Trinity.
The Church that God designed will not have furnishings or apparatus facilitating activities that do not have the support of Scripture.
The Church that God designed will not have as its source of doctrine, anything that has been added to or deleted from the Word of God, or that represents a misinterpretation or misapplication of Scripture that does exist.
If the average Christian of our times were just as concerned about the quantity and the quality of the food they feed their souls, as they are to respond to recalls of suspected contaminated food that we feed our bodies, the Christian Community as a whole, would be in much better spiritual health.
Scripture (2) speaks of spiritual famines. That being periods of time when solid preaching and teaching of the Word of God is a hard find. People go to Church on a regular basis, but leave just as spiritually starved as they were when they came.
If the truth be known, back-sliding, born-again believers prefer it this way, rather than being challenged by what more accurate preaching and teaching would require of them.
Evidence of satanic presence and influence in any given meeting place can be seen by what comes from the pulpits occupied by misguided religious leadership, or by wolves in sheep’s clothing, with malicious intent.
Remember that a bullet fired in ignorance by a sincere person can be just as lethal as one that is fired with malicious intent.
The “it’s our faith” answer to inquiries regarding teachings and accompanying practices that contradict Scripture is not an acceptable response for an advancing disciple.
Like a submarine, false doctrine poses its greatest threat when its presence goes undetected.
Once false doctrines and accompanying activities are introduced, accepted, and practiced long enough, they become a law unto themselves, and are very difficult to repeal.
Like an avalanche, false religion increases in quantity, speed, with an increasing potential for damage to anything in its path.
As the Old Testament prophet put it, “My people are destroyed for the lack of (accurate) knowledge (Hosea 4: 6 NASB2020 parenthesis mine).”
Now let’s pause put all cultural and denominational prejudice aside for a moment, and consider from where the source of all truth and the source of all false information (concerning spiritual issues) originate.
Jesus said, “…I am the truth…(John 14: 6 NASB2020), ” and identified the devil as the great liar who deceives the whole world (3).
“. . . He (the devil) was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there was no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for He is a liar and the father of lies (John 8: 46 NASB2020 parenthesis mine).”
Now consider that the devil is most effective when his deceptive lies are promoted indirectly through third parties, most of whom do so unwittingly, after being first deceived themselves.
The only defense against the consequences of following deceptive spiritual guidance that the devil promotes is to develop a Biblically-edified soul structure (4) , and the willingness to take whatever corrective action (5) is necessary to rectify the situation when the truth, or more accurate truth, is discovered.
These corrective actions, at the very least, would call for no longer participating in the accompanying activities that any false doctrine promotes.
In some cases, there will be the need to locate another source (pulpit/ministry) that is more capable of filling one’s spiritual needs.
Otherwise, one may find oneself in a Matt. 15: 9 scenario, or “partnering” with the devil, by supporting religious organizations that are promoting his deceptive agenda.
“And in vain (meaningless activity) do they worship Me, teaching (and practicing) as doctrines the commandments of men (Matt. 15: 9 NASB2020 parentheses mine).”
In context, Jesus was quoting the Old Testament prophet Isaiah (6) who was addressing some of the negative worship practices that was taking place at that time.
But in principle, it can apply to much of what has taken place, is taking place, and is going to take place (7) in many of the places of worship throughout the Christian Community of our day.
Religious authorities have a l-o-n-g history of imposing negative consequences, and even violent responses (8) on anyone who questions their positions on doctrinal issues.
God wouldn’t have given individual Church Age believers instructions to examine themselves to ensure Biblical consistency, as He did in 2Cor. 13: 5, if there was not an ongoing need to do so.
When anyone does not find the need to make adjustments in his or her edified soul structure and in his or her accompanying practices and behavior, he or she is no longer grow-i-n-g in the knowledge of the Lord (9), as such growth will always call for such ongoing adjustments.
The devil has a plan to impede the spiritual growth in the post salvation spiritual life of every Church Age believer.
His plan includes distractions, deceit, misguidance, and alternatives that appeal to the fallen nature (10) within us.
Such things appeal to us because the fallen nature within us is inherently hostile towards God and the things of God.
Making major changes in one’s spiritual choices will often generate Luke 14: 26 scenarios, calling for a step in faith that many would-be followers of Christ are unwilling to take.
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate (love less by yielding or giving preference to) his own father, mother, wife (spouse), children, brothers, sisters, yes, and even his own (independent) life, he cannot be My disciple (Luke 14: 26 NASB2020 parenthesis mine).”
In this, the devil is well-pleased.
He could do nothing to undo the Eph. 4: 30 sealing Work (baptism) of God the Holy Spirit, but by taking a would-be disciple away from the plan of God, God is denied His glory, and the army of God has one less participant in the Great Commission.
In closing, because the meeting places within the Christian Community is the last place that one would logically expect there to be satanic presence or influence in action, is what makes the apostate pulpits within the Christian Community the ideal location from which the devil can launch his missiles of mass destruction (11) through those he has deceived, and upon those he desires to deceive (12).
“But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons (1Tim. 4: 1 NASB2020).”